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Finding beauty in the white spaces

“You say you want a revolution…”

Take a look at this new show that is set to premiere on NBC this fall called Revolution:

I’m amazed at how prevalent these types of post-apocalyptic or dystopian stories are in our society. And it’s not just a recent phenomenon, either. Look back through movies in recent decades — Planet of the Apes in the 60s, Logan’s Run or the Mad Max series during the 70s & 80s, The Matrix series of the 90s & 2000s and the huge success this year of The Hunger Games. Many of these stories find their origins in earlier books like Atlas Shrugged, I Am Legend or Farenheit 451.

All of these stories deal with society after some earth-changing event that turns our culture on its ear. Many deal with our fears about the ultimate end of our technological advancement.

What’s interesting to me, though, is that there is fear on both sides of that ultimate outcome. We fear that our machines will eventually take over and control us (think The Terminator movies or The Matrix), but we are also afraid of being without the technology that we have come to rely on so heavily (like this show Revolution or The Happening).

We don’t want to face life without our technology, but we are afraid of it ruling our lives.

But this isn’t just about some distant day in the future, however, is it? The stories we tell always reveal the dreams and fears we hold for today.

I have a hard time imagining how I’d get through my normal day without my iPhone, my iPad, voicemail, my TV, the internet, email or text messages. These things have become my daily connection to the world around me. I don’t want to live without them because they are extremely useful tools.

Yet I know that in small (& perhaps large) ways, these things can control our lives. There is always some message to respond to or some information to access or entertainment to consume. And in many ways, these things rule my schedule.

The reason we pursue margin is because it sits between these 2 fears. Our ultimate goal should not be to avoid the “evil” machines because technology is not going away and can definitely improve our lives. Likewise, we cannot turn a blind eye to the effects that the proliferation of technology brings upon us.

Creating sacred margins in our lives helps us to manage our fears as we deal with the technological milieu. We don’t have to be afraid of technology because it’s not evil. But creating some space so that we can see, understand and make wise decisions – that is what I desire.

Where do your fears lie with technology? Are you more afraid of being without it or of it completely ruling your life?

Where do you need help finding margin to see and understand to deal with this fear?